[Pramāṇa](https://indike.org/pramana/) › [Studies](https://indike.org/pramana/ins) › [General history and culture](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general) › [The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924) › c23.97 # The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c23.97 The Early History of India, from 600 B.C. to the Muhammadan Conquest, including the Invasion of Alexander the Great c23.97 - **Language:** English ### [c23.97](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c23.97) The Jain literary tradition of Western India, which also recognizes Samprati as the immediate successor of Asoka, eulogizes him as an eminent patron of Jainism, who founded Jain monasteries even in non-Aryan countries. Almost all ancient Jain temples or monuments of unknown origin are ascribed by the popular voice to Samprati, who is, in fact, regarded as a Jain Asoka. One author describes him as being the sovereign of all India (‘lord of Bharata with its three continents’), holding court at Pātaliputra; but other traditions place the seat of his government at Ujjain. It is obviously impossible to reconcile all these discrepant traditions, or to feel assured that a kernel of fact can be extracted from the husk of legend. The concurrence of Buddhist with Jain tradition may be accepted as good evidence that Samprati had a real existence in the flesh, although nothing certain is known about him. Perhaps the empire was divided immediately after Asoka's death, between his grandsons, Dasaratha taking the eastern, and Samprati the western provinces, but there is no clear evidence to support this hypothesis.¹ - [Previous: c23.96](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c23.96) - [Next: c23.98](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c23.98) - [Up: c23](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c23) --- Source: [https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c23.97](https://indike.org/pramana/ins.general.smith-1924.c23.97) · Pramāṇa